By Sue Bruni

Express News Staff

A male yearling black bear had to be shot and killed at the Eighth Lake Campground on Aug. 26. Consultation between DEC Region 5 Wildlife staff and a DEC Forest Ranger concluded the shooting was a direct result of the young bear having been fed by humans.

According to DEC representative, David Winchell, and Wildlife Biologist Ed Reed, the young bear had been frequenting the campground for several weeks, obtaining food from campers.

“In some instances, campers were intentionally providing the bear with food. The bear’s behavior became more aggressive, including charging and hissing at campers,” said Winchell.

“This is what bears will do if they come to expect food by approaching humans,” said Reed.

The DEC website (www.dec.ny.gov) states that bears that do not expect food from humans will not approach humans; bears that have been rewarded with food by approaching humans will continue to look at humans as a source of food.

“It probably wasn’t even [the campers that fed the bear] that were eventually approached aggressively,” explained Reed. “If a young bear is fed by one set of humans, he’s not going to understand why other humans don’t just give him what he wants.”

Overall, nuisance bear complaints are down in the Adirondacks due to the abundance of natural foods available this summer. Generally, nuisance bears are removed from the area if it becomes evident that they are developing a problem, and relocated to a less populated region. However, several bears have reportedly come to expect the easy hand-outs provided by people that believe they are doing the bears a favor.

“Young male bears that become aggressive do not change their behavior,” said Winchell. “Negative conditioning is futile, and moving the bear only puts an aggressive bear that is habituated to getting food from humans in some other part of the Adirondacks. The decision was made to kill the bear before it hurt someone.”

Massive campaigns have been launched recently to educate people about the dangers of feeding the bears in our area. Danger not only to humans, but to the bears themselves. The Town of Webb has been promoting “Fed Bear-Dead Bear” posters, and the DEC has been promoting education regarding the dangers of feeding the wildlife for years.

“People should never feed bears, whether intentionally or unintentionally,” said Winchell, “to avoid harm to humans and damage to property. And to maintain a healthy, natural black bear population.”

Reed concurred with the same plea.

“It’s unfortunate that the young bear needed to be put down,” said Reed. “I really wish it didn’t have to come to that. But it’s our job. People need to stop feeding these animals to keep them safe and wild.”